Send to KindleGood morning. Here is your briefing for Friday, September 4, 2026.
From the White House podium to streaming football, court fights, and a looming 9/11 anniversary — the headlines from Just The News, Cord Cutters News, Newsmax, Fox News, and One America News.
Top Stories
Vance: Supreme Court stays at nine “so long as Republicans are in power”
Vice President JD Vance told reporters the administration wants nine justices and warned that Democrats have “explicitly promised” to pack the Court. The comments followed a House vote that failed to advance a constitutional amendment locking the Court at nine. Vance framed the midterms as a choice between “crazy people who are trying to rig the game and common sense people.” He said a “good and honest and fair” Court lasts as long as Republicans hold power.
Source: Just The News; also covered on Fox News video segments
Judge blocks Trump’s latest birthright-citizenship order
A Maryland federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against President Trump’s August executive order narrowing birthright citizenship. The order directed agencies not to issue citizenship documents in cases involving foreign-terrorist-organization members, certain foreign-government employees, or alleged birth tourism. Judge Deborah Boardman, a Biden appointee, said the order was “almost certainly unconstitutional” as applied to the certified class, citing a prior Supreme Court ruling. The fight now continues in the courts.
Source: One America News
CBO: Public debt still heads to a record 107% of GDP by 2029
The Congressional Budget Office projected debt held by the public will rise from about 98% of GDP this year to a record 107% in 2029 — even after a recent deficit-reduction deal. In plain terms, what the government owes the public would exceed the size of the entire economy. The forecast undercuts claims that the latest ceiling and spending package put the fiscal trajectory on a sustainable path.
Source: Just The News
Diesel hits a record $5.85 a gallon
U.S. diesel prices reached a record $5.85 a gallon as disruptions tied to the Iran conflict squeeze fuel flows. Newsmax flagged the spike as another affordability problem for trucking, farms, and household goods. Markets were watching the jobs report and whether the Fed would ease rate-hike fears. High diesel costs tend to ripple into grocery and shipping prices faster than gasoline alone.
Source: Newsmax
Politics / National
Trump names Adam Telle acting Army secretary
President Trump announced that Adam Telle, currently Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, will serve as acting Army secretary after Dan Driscoll resigned. Telle oversees Army Corps of Engineers work and Army infrastructure. Driscoll’s exit followed reported clashes with War Secretary Pete Hegseth over the removal of senior military leaders. It is another high-level Pentagon personnel change in a turbulent year.
Source: Just The News; Newsmax
Minneapolis shooting: two dead, officers wounded, gunman dead
A downtown Minneapolis shooting near an apartment complex left two civilians dead and several wounded, including police. One officer was shot in the leg; another took two rounds to the abdomen. A third officer was hurt in a squad-car crash en route. The suspected shooter died at the scene after exchanging fire with police. All three officers were reported stable.
Source: One America News; Fox News identified victims in related coverage
House already denounced socialism; SCOTUS-cap amendment failed
House Republicans passed a resolution denouncing “socialism in all its forms,” including the DSA, 220–192, with eight Democrats joining. A day later, Democrats blocked a proposed constitutional amendment to lock the Supreme Court at nine justices, 212–206. Sponsors argued packing talk has grown after conservative confirmations; opponents said Congress should keep that power and that the amendment ignored affordability.
Source: Just The News
Trade fight with Canada stays frozen
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said there are “no negotiations happening on trade right now” and called the collapsed talks “more their emergency than ours.” Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on about $20 billion in U.S. goods are set for September 8 after Washington used Section 338 to tax Canadian imports. Prime Minister Mark Carney told Washington to stop the memes and “tough” talk. The spat follows a public clash involving Ontario’s premier and even a symbolic “Lake America” order.
Source: Just The News; Newsmax
9/11 25th anniversary plans take shape
President Trump plans to attend the Pentagon ceremony; Vice President Vance is slated for New York. The White House will display a 21-foot steel beam from the World Trade Center South Tower at a September 8 event with first responders, via the Tunnel to Towers “Steel Across America” tour. Fox News Media outlined multi-platform specials from New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington. FOX Nation premieres Paul Mauro’s Ground Zero return documentary today.
Source: Fox News; One America News; Just The News
Streaming & Tech
Verizon drops free NFL Sunday Ticket today
Verizon is offering NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube free for the 2026 regular season through a Verizon Shine promotion in the My Verizon app on Friday, September 4. The company values the giveaway at up to $480. Eligibility is tied to select Unlimited Ultimate or Unlimited Plus wireless and home-internet plans, often after buying or upgrading an eligible 5G phone. It covers out-of-market Sunday afternoon games, not digital-only or commercial viewing. Kickoff week starts September 9.
Source: Cord Cutters News
Star Trek’s 60th hits 750 theaters starting today
From September 4–8, more than 750 U.S. theaters will screen restored 4K versions of the first four Star Trek films, each paired with an Original Series episode — the first time those TV stories hit the big screen. Tonight’s pairing: The Motion Picture – The Director’s Edition with “The Changeling.” The run ends on the series’ September 8, 1966 anniversary. Later nights pair Wrath of Khan with “Space Seed.”
Source: Cord Cutters News
HBO Max, Blink cameras, and other cord-cutter notes
HBO Max premieres the action film Fuze today, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Theo James. Amazon’s Blink Labor Day sale cuts doorbells, cameras, and bundles as much as 71%, with some extra trade-in savings. Tablo is running $20 off DVRs into football season. Nintendo’s Switch 2 U.S. price already rose $50 to $499.99 on September 1; some retailers still had leftover $449 stock earlier in the week.
Source: Cord Cutters News
Other Notable
Trump $1 America 250 coins sold out fast
The U.S. Mint’s gold-finish $1 coins honoring America’s 250th birthday — with Trump’s portrait on one side and the Great Seal on the other — went on sale Wednesday and sold out within hours. A 25-coin roll was $61; a 100-coin bag $154.50. Some coins struck July 4 carry a special privy mark randomly mixed into rolls and bags. Household order caps were scheduled to lift after the first day.
Source: Newsmax; One America News
Border and crime snapshots
Fox News reported the U.S. military took down about 100 suspected cartel drones at the southern border in August. The Coast Guard recovered 47 bales of suspected marijuana worth $2.4 million after intercepting a go-fast vessel. Separately, the Trump administration proposed stripping tax-exempt status from schools using race-based programs. Missouri’s high court blocked GOP-backed congressional maps ahead of the midterms; Trump called the ruling “ridiculous.”
Source: Fox News
Iran, Ukraine, and the midterm clock
Vance said he would not call the Iran conflict a “war.” CENTCOM has continued strikes on IRGC air defense, radar, and maritime targets; Trump said he likes the current leverage and is not rushing a deal. Russian strikes killed three in Ukraine as U.S. envoys planned a Kyiv visit. House leaders scrapped two weeks of session before the midterms; Trump is expected to campaign in dozens of locations in a final sprint.
Source: Fox News; One America News; Newsmax
That’s your Friday brief. Stay sharp, check the sources, and have a good Labor Day weekend.